Lubricating device for sewing-machine needles.



A. E. JOHNSON.

LUBRICATING DEVICE EOE SEWING MACHINE NEEDLES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.13, 1913. 1 1O8,%%fi, Patented Aug. 25, 1914,

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

lifiuasses jiweiziar A. E. JOHNSON.

LUBRIGATING DEVICE FOR SEWING MACHINE NEEDLES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.13, 1913.

1, 1 08,445 Patented Aug. 25, 191i 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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III/55716515295.-

UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT E. JOHNSON, 0F BEVERLY. MASSACHUSETTS. ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OI PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

LUBRICATING DEVICE FOR SEWING-MKCHINE NEEDLES.

i Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

Application filed January 13, 1913. Serial No. 741,829.

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art' to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to needle lubricating devices for sewin and stltching machines which are used in the manufacture of boots and shoes, and more particularly to such devices for sewing machines used to sew together the two upturned lips of an Economy insole blank. In operating these machines for sewing sole leather it is found that the needle breaks up the leather at the point of penetration into fine particles of dust which gather on the surface and in the eye of theneedle. These particles of dust ordinarily are too light and fine to restrict the passage of the thread through theeye of the needle, but as the needle is vibrated at a high speed it soon becomes heated to such an extent as to cause thefine particles of dust to burn on the needle. The burned dust is exceedingly sticky and, instead of being easily displaced by the reciprocation of the needle, soon clo up the eye of the needle thus causing the t read to be caught therein and broken. "It has been discovered that the danger of the.

thread becoming broken can be obviated by either dipping the thread in an oil bath or squirting oil on the needle. Neither of these npethlods are, however, economical in the use 0- c1 The object of the resent invention is the provision of a'need e lubricating device of sim lified and improved construction and media or operation which will be economical and will work satisfactorilyata high speed I without spattering the oil over'the work in the machine. 7

To the accomplishment of this object the features ofthe invention relate o certain devices, combinations and arrangments of parts, hereinafter described and then set forth in detail in the appended claims which possess advantages readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

The various features of the present invention will be best understood from an inspection of the accompanying drawings, showing the best form of the invention at present known to the inventor, in which,

Figure 1 is a vfront elevation of a Willcox & Gibbs Household sewing machine, in which the novel features of the presentinvention have been embodied; Fig. 2 is a detail inleft side elevation; Fig. 3 is a detail in sectional plan on the line 3-3, Fig. 2,

and Fig. 4 is a sectional detail on the line M, Fig. 1.

' The construction and mode of-operation of the stitch forming mechanism of the machine shown in the drawings are substantially identical to the construction and mode of operation of the stitch forming'inecha nism provided in the Well known Willcox & Gibbs Household sewing machine. This stitch-forming mechanism comprises a straight,eye-pointed needle 1 and a rotary thread hook or cast-oil 2. The thread hookis rotated by being mounted directly upon the driving shaft 3. The needle 1 is clamped upon the lower end of a needle bar 4 which is reciprocated, in a needle bar guide 5 on the machine frame, by the oscillations of a pivotally mounted lever 6 actuated by an eccentric on the shaft 3.

in order to lubricate the needle 1 a plug of absorbent material 7, such as 'felt, is mounted in a bore 8 formed intheilower end of a holder 9. The rear end of the bore 8 is open topermit a small quantity until it is applied-to the needle. To enable the feht plug 7 to automatically accommodate itself to needles of diflerent sizes and toexert therequired pressure upon the neoclic regardless of the reduction in size, of :the plug due to Wear the holder 9 is pivota'lly. mounted upon the needle bar guide 5 and is normally held under spring tension in such manner as to project the felt plug 7 into the plane of the path of movement of the needle. To thisend the holder ,Qis provided intermediate its ends with a boss 10 which is rotatably held by a'washer 11 on a stud'12 secured to a bracket 13 which of oil. to be squirtedtherein, as may be neccssary, which is retained by the felt plug 7 is clamped to the back of the needle guide 5. In order to swing the holder 9 .on the stud 12 in a direction to project the felt plug 7 into the plane of the path of movement of the'needle a spring 1.4 is clamped to the end of the stud 12 by a screw bolt 15. One end of the spring is held in a hole 16 formed in the end of the stud 12- and the other end of the spring is arranged to exert pressure against the left side (viewing Fig. 1) of the holder 8. 1

In order to permit the needle bar to descend below the felt plug 7 without engagement therewith the needle lubricating device is arranged to be withdrawn from the needle in a plane transverse to the path of movement of the needle. To this end the upper end of the holder is provided with a cam surface 17 which is held by the spring 14 continuously in engagement with a roll 18 journaled upon a screw bolt 19 (Fig. ft) secured to a roll carrier 20. Theroll carrier 20 is bifurcated to embrace the lever 6 to which it is clamped by a screw bolt 21. Vith this construction the lubricating device is yieldingly held against the needle until, during the downward movement of the needle, the roll 18 engages an incline 22 on. the cam surface 17 at which time the.

as the needle bar'is elevated the roll 18 rides off the incline 22 thus permitting the spring 14 to replace the lubricating device against the needle. 1

The nature and scope of the present in,- vention having been indicated and the preferred form of the invention having been specifically described what is claimed as new, is:' l

1. A sewing machine, having, in combination, a needle, a needle lubricating device, yielding means for holding the lubricating device against the needle, 7 and positive means acting in opposition to said yielding means for withdrawing the lubricating device from the needle by a movement in a path transverse to the path of movement of the needle.

2. A sewing machine, having, in combination, a straight needle, a needle bar, a needle lubricating device normally maintained in engagement with the needle, and a single means for vibrating the needle bar and nee.-

dle vertically andfor withdrawing the needle lubricating device from the path of movement of the needle bar as it descends.

3. A sewing machine, having, in combination, a straight needle, a needle bar,

about a fixed axis. and means separate from.

means for causing a reciprocation of the needle, an independently mounted needle lubricating device normally held in the path of movement of the needle, and means other than the needle bar, for positively withdrawing the needle lubricating device Irom said path.

4. Asewing machine, having, in combination, a needle, a needle carrier, a needle lubricating device, a holder therefor movable about a fixed axis, yielding means for swinging the holder in one direction about said axis to project the lubricating device into the path of movement'of the needle, and positive means other than the needle carrier, for swinging the holder in the other direction about said axis to withdraw the lubricating device from the path of movement of the needle.

5. A sewing machine, having, in combination, a needle, a needle carrier, a needle actuating lever. means for vibrating said lever, a needle lubricating device, a holder for said device mounted on a lever movable saidmeans for vibrating the needle actuating lever and separate from the needle carrierffor engaging said lubricating device leverjto swing the holder about said axis and cause the lubricating device to move into and out of the path of movement of the needle.

f 6. A sewing machine, having, in combination, a needle, an oscillating actuator therefor, a needle bar, a needle bar guide, a needle lubricating device pivotally mounted on the needlebar guide, means for h0lding the needle lubricating device projected into the path of movement of the needle,

and means carried .by the oscillatingactur ator' for removing the needle lubricating device from the path of movement of the needle.

7. A sewing machine, having, in combination, a needle, an oscillating actuator 10 therefor, a needle bar, a needle bar'guide, an arm centrally pivoted on the needle bar guide and provided with a cam and a needle lubricating device, means for normally maintaining the needle lubricating device projected into the path of movement of the needle, and a roll carried by the oscillating actuator arranged to engage the cam on the arm and remove the needle lubricatingdevice from the path of movement of the needle. ALBERT E. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

GEORGE E. STEBBINS, WARREN G. OGDEN. 

